Your Schedule and Your Life with Children
As you are raising your baby you teach them how to speak, how to walk, how to eat solid foods, and how to go potty. Then society pulls you in a different direction when it comes to educating them. As a parent, you are their first teacher and with all the knowledge out there, we know that misplaced truths have been exposed and are taught through the curriculum, books, and learning subjects within the educational system. We understand that education reform should and needs to happen. So why would we subject our children to twelve years of the indoctrination the public school offers?
Yes, time and money must be considered but the children are a priority, and their needs must come first. The subject matters that you invite into the growing cognition of your child for twelve years are vital to their development overall. So, when it comes to scheduling this is where you start. Can you afford the time and the energy behind being the parent-teacher you naturally are? Yes, spending intentional learning time with your children is every bit worth it. This is Quality Time 101.
Getting organized is the beginning of finding a way. If you are not organized in the beginning, it is okay. It helps to be organized but it is not a deal breaker. If you are organized or if you are learning to be organized. You recognize that organization and putting systems in place is the foundational step in the right direction. There were some of us fortunate enough to get our house in order before starting a family. However, many of us did it the opposite way and now need to rethink being in the present with our children. It would only add to life to teach our children to be organized. It helps to have older children instruct younger children too. Combining intentional learning time with your children even though they are in different grades can be done. Learning subjects are repeated throughout each of your children’s twelve years of education.
You know your family. First, set up a schedule that is comfortable for your family. Use a daily planner or your phone but look at it every day or set an alarm for it. You determine what most of “it” is as long as it reflects planning projects, field trips, and time with other children like sports or clubs. Learn to stick through it and divide the curriculum into daily tasks. Choose and invest in a curriculum for learning subjects such as language arts, math, science, history & geography, and art that your child can complete by the end of the school year. Expect more from each child as they get older.
Schedule trade-offs with other families to split learning time. Swap lessons and then have the child work independently. Give each family with children in your circle time to teach a lesson and a day off from schooling during the week. This would support each family with preparing for lessons without interruption and give each teacher-parent healing time to work through some of the social and emotional traumas we may have personally experienced. Everyone needs time to reevaluate and regroup. Organize in a way that your schedule works for you.
